Return to home/controller

[ff22]

Look at the pic in post #1
It shows what you see if you click on main Controller Settings in the app.
See he's circled two icons?
One has a paper plane icon and one has a person, both show the letter H for Home.
Hover over the place you choose (if you are close to water, make sure it is > 10 feet from the edge and not close to trees or other obstacles.
Then go to the main controller settings and click the appropriate icon ( the plane symbol because you want to reset home to where the drone is).
Go and play with it in a large, open area to get confidence.

THANKS VERY MUCH. I don't think that I saw that explained in the manual.

 

[ff22]

If you really, really need to bring it back from way out, one solution would be to get a good Android device because they don't have this problem.

I'll ask because I just got up and it's early: The gps these functions rely on is in the phone/tablet and NOT the controller?

 

[Kilrah]

There is no GPS in the controller, so yes.

 

[Montana John]

This making me rethink what I thought about return to home. I thought, naively I guess, that return to home meant return to take off point, or return to the position of the remote controller. That has been happening to me. I then see this:
Home Point Settings
The two Home Point Settings buttons set the home point (for RTH and related functionality) to either the point of the aircraft at the present time, or the location of the controller (assuming the controller has GPS).
My confusion - how can the drone return to "the point of the aircraft at the present time"? If I am where I am, how can I return there? And what happened to return to the take off point?
And, I am waiting for my controller to be delivered back to me from DJI repair to see if it will ever return to the location of the controller. Is there a recognized GO 4 issue with this?

 

[msinger]

I thought, naively I guess, that return to home meant return to take off point, or return to the position of the remote controller

When return to home is initiated, the drone will attempt to return to the location where the home point was last marked. That's usually the takeoff point, but it could be elsewhere if the home point was not set before taking off or if the home point was changed after taking off.

The two Home Point Settings buttons set the home point (for RTH and related functionality) to either the point of the aircraft at the present time, or the location of the controller (assuming the controller has GPS).

This allows you to reset the home point to the drone's current location or the mobile device's current location (per the GPS position it's reporting). Once the home point has been reset, it will remain at that new location until reset again. The home point will not automatically move if either the drone or mobile device move away from the last set home point.

 

[Meta4]

My confusion - how can the drone return to "the point of the aircraft at the present time"?

That's quite simple.
If you reset the homepoint during the flight to the current location of the drone, in an RTH, the drone would return to that point and commence landing there.

what happened to return to the take off point??

Nothing happened, that's the default and what will happen unless you reset your home point during a flight (which very few flyers ever do).

 

[Montana John]

When return to home is initiated, the drone will attempt to return to the location where the home point was last marked. That's usually the takeoff point, but it could be elsewhere if the home point was not set before taking off or if the home point was changed after taking off.


This allows you to reset the home point to the drone's current location or the mobile device's current location (per the GPS position it's reporting). Once the home point has been reset, it will remain at that new location until reset again. The home point will not automatically move if either the drone or mobile device move away from the last set home point.

Ah hah! It becomes clearer. The original home point is the take off point (as the little voice announces), and remains there until the pilot changes things with the GO 4 app. The RTH will not automatically follow the location of the mobile device. Now, I notice you used the term mobile device, not remote controller. Was that intentional? I am starting to understand that the mobile device is the phone or tablet that the Go 4 app is loaded on, not the remote controller. Is this so?
Thanks for your patience, and information.

 

[msinger]

I am starting to understand that the mobile device is the phone or tablet that the Go 4 app is loaded on, not the remote controller. Is this so?

That's correct.

Now, I notice you used the term mobile device, not remote controller. Was that intentional?

Yes. The remote controller does not contain a GPS receiver (unless you're using the Smart Controller). Since the mobile device is reporting its current location via its GPS receiver, the home point is set to that location. One could argue that the remote controller and mobile device will likely always be in the same location (which should be true in most cases), but I feel it's best to explain things exactly as they are.

 

[Montana John]

That's correct.


Yes. The remote controller does not contain a GPS receiver (unless you're using the Smart Controller). Since the mobile device is reporting its current location via its GPS receiver, the home point is set to that location. One could argue that the remote controller and mobile device will likely always be in the same location (which should be true in most cases), but I feel it's best to explain things exactly as they are.

Thank you for "explaining things exactly as they are." So many people get vague about vocabulary, and the results are not good in technical environments.

 

[Montana John]

Msinger, another related issue. If the remote controller has no gps, what use is its rth button? Does it work through the Go 4 on the mobile device? I have pressed the rth button on my controller, and at times nothing happens. And at others, the drone returns to take off point.

 

[msinger]

If the remote controller has no gps, what use is its rth button?

That button is used to initiate or cancel RTH. It does not set the home point or do anything with GPS data.

RTH can still be used even if the mobile device does not contain a GPS receiver. The drone contains a GPS receiver and it supplies the data used to auto set the home point prior to takeoff.

I have pressed the rth button on my controller, and at times nothing happens

You need to press and hold the RTH button for a few seconds to initiate RTH. The remote controller will start beeping when RTH has been initiated.

 

[Montana John]

That button is used to initiate or cancel RTH. It does not set the home point or do anything with GPS data.

RTH can still be used even if the mobile device does not contain a GPS receiver. The drone contains a GPS receiver and it supplies the data used to auto set the home point prior to takeoff.


You need to press and hold the RTH button for a few seconds to initiate RTH. The remote controller will start beeping when RTH has been initiated.

I called DJI customer help about the RTH button not working on my remote controller. They just said send it in for repair, which I did. Not any advice on holding the button down for a length of time.
Hopefully it will arrive home tomorrow. I put a very small black dot inside one of the phone holder arms to see if I get back the same controller I sent in.

 

[msinger]

I called DJI customer help about the RTH button not working on my remote controller. They just said send it in for repair, which I did. Not any advice on holding the button down for a length of time.

Sorry to hear that. If run into any trouble again, try asking here before going through the trouble of sending in a (most likely) perfectly good remote controller. And feel free to reach out to me directly for help.

 

[Montana John]

Sorry to hear that. If run into any trouble again, try asking here before going through the trouble of sending in a (most likely) perfectly good remote controller. And feel free to reach out to me directly for help.

Thank you. DJI has not been helpful twice, although they have not charged me anything, even shipping costs, for not helping. I have never dealt with a business like DJI who don't put out adequate directions for using their product. I will likely be contacting you issues since I am sort of a lone ranger here. Not much droning going on here especially in the winter snow.

 

[msinger]

I have never dealt with a business like DJI who don't put out adequate directions for using their product.

The Mavic 2 manual (and other Mavic manuals) isn't perfect, but it does cover this topic:

 

[Montana John]

I pressed the button long, and I pressed it short, and I called DJI help.
Nothing.
This sort of experience makes me lose confidence in the system and think about throwing away $1200 dollars instead of enjoying a hobby.

 

[ff22]

I pressed the button long, and I pressed it short, and I called DJI help.
Nothing.
This sort of experience makes me lose confidence in the system and think about throwing away $1200 dollars instead of enjoying a hobby.

I could not practice Return-to-home in my backyard. Too constrained and small. But finally was at a soccer field and was it amazing. You need to take of straight up about 25 feet and the drone will record its home point. I guess it uses a combination of gps (from the drone) and it "photographs" the landing spot (which needs some definition not an expanse of green lawn or white snow or black asphalt). I had an orange landing pad. Then I flew a few hundred feet away. Then did return-to-home. It flew HOME but first rising higher than I expected (it can be set) and heading home, hovered, repositioned to face its take off direction and landed. I then did it a few more times during my two battery session.

 

[Montana John]

I could not practice Return-to-home in my backyard. Too constrained and small. But finally was at a soccer field and was it amazing. You need to take of straight up about 25 feet and the drone will record its home point. I guess it uses a combination of gps (from the drone) and it "photographs" the landing spot (which needs some definition not an expanse of green lawn or white snow or black asphalt). I had an orange landing pad. Then I flew a few hundred feet away. Then did return-to-home. It flew HOME but first rising higher than I expected (it can be set) and heading home, hovered, repositioned to face its take off direction and landed. I then did it a few more times during my two battery session.

It works fine off the i pad/GO 4, but when I hit what's for me the "panic button" RTH on the remote, that's when the "irregularities" start. My "repaired" controller will arrive tomorrow, and if it's not snowing too hard, I'll see what happens.
My back yard is 13+ acres, so I have lots of room to play around without disturbing anyone.

 

[Maverick pilot]

I have experienced this problem and only this one that the return to controller does not work, but gives this weak signal error. If this icon is in the DJI go app then it should do what its there for. Regardless of the methods one uses it should do as its designed to do if not then that icon should be removed. I would like to launch the craft and then walk to a further distance from which it set off from. Then obviously I would like it to return to where I am at this location. That way the drone saves itself a return trip back to the initial take off point. Its not to conserve battery power but enable on to travel further ahead. Like the poster said sometimes it nice to have the return to controller do its job as a convenience. I think that's what that function is designed to do or at least what id like it to do when and when I decide to implement it regardless.

 

[zappy54]

the weak gps warning is still present on IOS devices even if its got wifi + cellular